"They think us barbarians because we cling to the past. We think them barbarians because they do not cling to the past."

16 February 2011

Feed that Kid

I was in the local grocery store on Monday to pick up some last-minute items for our awesome Valentine's dinner. As I hoofed it past the dairy refrigerators, I noticed what appeared to be an abandoned shopping cart with a toddler standing next to it. He was poking the gallon milk jugs. I peered around to see if the child's mother was nearby. She was sitting on the floor across from the milk fridge with her back against one of those free-standing floor refrigeration units. She was on the floor because she was nursing the toddler's younger sibling.

I briefly thought about saying, "Good for you!" or something similar, but decided that it might be better just to leave her and the baby alone in recognition that flopping down on the floor in the middle of the store to nurse your baby should not be a cause for comment.

I used to be uncomfortable seeing other women nursing, but I think I've seen it often enough now that it doesn't phase me. Last week, I was in a restaurant with a friend, her younger daughter, and her 8-week old (the newly-baptized infant from my previous post), and she nursed the baby in the restaurant. She apologized for flashing me at one point while adjusting his latch, but I was involved in our conversation and had hardly noticed. Breastfeeding on demand is awesome, and I really hope I won't get a sudden case of shyness when my turn comes around. I still haven't asked my husband how he felt about seeing J. feed the baby in her living room when we were there for the post-baptism party. I do know how he felt about holding the baby: awkward and inadequate. Poor guy has very little baby-holding experience. We'll have to work on that!

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Welcome!

Jane and Lizzy are Catholic nerds, music geeks, students, and best friends. We met at Gonzaga University in 2002 and have been blogging together since 2003. We are now both graduate students on the East Coast.